To play a conventional slot machine, the player deposits money into the machine, sets the wager, spins the reels, and collects awards for winning symbol combinations appearing on selected pay lines, according to a pay schedule. Since conventional slot machines are limited to the foregoing methods, players, casinos, and manufacturers suffer.
Players grow bored of playing games using same method of play; casinos suffer from player dissatisfaction with the casino's game selection; casinos cannot distinguish their games from other casinos; and game manufacturers cannot distinguish their products from other manufacturers.
Slot manufacturers and casino operators, therefore, develop new methods to overcome these limitations. None of these methods, however, issue awards based upon the order of appearance of symbols in the symbol matrix. The full potential for slot machine awards, therefore, remains unrealized.